Quote:
Originally Posted by 93nav
I did not realize you could do this. What chassis/case did you use?
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I used a Thermaltake ATX chassis.
https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Computer-Chassis-Pre-installed-CA-1D5-00S1WN-00/dp/B00PDDMN6S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1539606023&sr=8-3&keywords=thermaltake+atx+case
Quote:
Originally Posted by 93nav
How did you determine what motherboard would work with the laptop chip?
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When I pulled the processor from the laptop mother board, I did a google search of the numbers printed on the side. This gave me the exact processor model/revision. Once I had that, I did another google search and I found a website that gave me a list of compatible motherboards.
http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/CPUs/Intel/Core_i7_Mobile/i7-3720QM_(PGA)_motherboards.html
Then I went to ebay and found such a motherboard (they are no longer being sold new in my case). The seller I went with appears to be in the business of dismantling computers and selling the parts on ebay. They claimed to have tested the motherboard and offered a warranty. I paid a little bit of a premium over other sellers, but I was also looking to not have a hassle as it turned out to be about two months between when I had the motherboard and when I had the rest of the computer together.
When I was putting together the case, I looked up the schematics for the motherboard and was able to figure out what cables to use on the motherboard. As I hadn't opened a computer case in over 20 years, all of the cabling was different than what I remembered. I took my time, quadruple-checked everything, and went off and did research when I didn't understand something. In the end, I basically prayed that it would work the first time I started it up. I was somewhat surprised that I didn't waste a bunch of money on a project where I ended up ruining something critical.